The Trump administration is quietly moving to revise a decades-old rule governing historic preservation of buildings and landscapes. The proposed changes would ease the path for constructing the president’s pet projects in Washington.

Proposed Changes

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a little-known independent federal agency, is proposing to amend key regulations for implementing the National Historic Preservation Act. The 1966 act is the primary federal law that protects historical and archeological sites in the United States.

Critics say the move would curtail the required oversight for projects that could affect sites of historical significance — effectively gutting a significant part of the preservation law. The proposed changes include cutting the requirement for public comment, giving more authority to agencies, and changing timelines for reviews.

Reaction

Preservation groups have expressed strong opposition to the proposed changes. Charles Birnbaum of the Cultural Landscape Foundation said, ‘It’s really shocking.’ Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, said, ‘It’s not even a small tweak — it’s a complete gutting of the Section 106 process.’

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.